Democrats on Capitol Hill are demanding an investigation after a bombshell report from Buzzfeed news that claims President Trump directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress. Veuer's Nick Cardona has that story.
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WASHINGTON – A pair of House Democratic committee chairmen vowed Friday to investigate allegations in a published report that President Donald Trump personally ordered his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about a potential real-estate development in Moscow.

Trump and his attorney said Cohen is untruthful.

"We know that the President has engaged in a long pattern of obstruction," tweeted Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "Directing a subordinate to lie to Congress is a federal crime. The @HouseJudiciary Committee’s job is to get to the bottom of it, and we will do that work."

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, also vowed to "do what’s necessary to find out if it’s true." He tweeted, "the allegation that the President of the United States may have suborned perjury before our committee in an effort to curtail the investigation and cover up his business dealings with Russia is among the most serious to date."

The report, published by BuzzFeed News, claims Trump directed Cohen to mislead Congress about when negotiations to launch a condo project in Russia's capital ended, as well as the extent of Trump's involvement in the deal. It later fell apart.

Trump did not comment directly on the claim, but retweeted a Fox News story that mentioned Cohen has been convicted of perjury and fraud, and is reportedly under investigation over other matters.

Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani called Cohen "a convicted criminal and a liar," said in a statement: "Any suggestion – from any source – that the President counseled Michael Cohen to lie is categorically false."

Kevin Corke, @FoxNews “Don’t forget, Michael Cohen has already been convicted of perjury and fraud, and as recently as this week, the Wall Street Journal has suggested that he may have stolen tens of thousands of dollars....” Lying to reduce his jail time! Watch father-in-law!

USA TODAY has not independently confirmed the BuzzFeed report as of Friday afternoon.

BuzzFeed, which cited two unnamed law enforcement officials for its report, further claimed that the office of special counsel Robert Mueller investigating Trump's Russia ties has additional evidence about the alleged deception backed up by "interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents."

Cohen previously testified he falsely told Congress that Trump’s attempt to get the Moscow project off the ground concluded in January 2016 when he actually continued to pursue the project through June 2016. Cohen pleaded guilty in November to lying to Congress on this matter.

He is now cooperating with Mueller's probe and agreed to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 7 before he begins a three-year prison term in March for crimes that include arranging for payments during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign to silence women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with Trump.

BuzzFeed's story, if true, is significant because Trump consistently denied on the campaign trail having had any financial links to Russia. In fact, since 2016, Trump has publicly repeated more than two dozen times that he has "nothing to do with Russia."

"There was no talking to Russia. There was no phone calls. I didn’t make phone calls to Russia. I didn’t receive phone calls. I didn’t have meetings. I didn’t have texts. I didn’t have anything," he said aboard Air Force One in September.

USA TODAY reached out to the White House and the special counsel's office at the Department of Justice for comment but received no immediate response.

Democratic leaders reacted with anger and concern but also caution, pledging to investigate and establish the accuracy of the BuzzFeed report.

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen is back in the headlines for a meeting he had back in 2015 in Trump Tower. Veuer's Nick Cardona has the details.
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"If Mueller does have multiple sources confirming Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress, then we need to know this ASAP," wrote Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Twitter.

"I mean everything feels like a bombshell, and we are all numb, but I’m pretty sure if this story is true it’s – I’m going to be careful with my words here – something that Congress must investigate thoroughly," said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

At least one lawmaker called for Trump's impeachment if the report's accuracy is proved.

"If the @Buzzfeed story is true, President Trump must resign or be impeached," said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

There was little reaction from Republican lawmakers.

Lanny Davis, Cohen’s legal and communications adviser, issued the following statement after the BuzzFeed report.

"Out of respect for Mr. Mueller’s and the Office of Special Counsel’s investigation, Mr. Cohen declined to respond to the questions asked by the reporters and so do I," Davis told USA TODAY.

Giuliani shot down the report Thursday night, saying in a statement, according to a tweet from Washington Post reporter Philip Rucker: "If you believe Cohen I can get you a great deal on the Brooklyn Bridge."

Robin Bell, left, and Sorane Yamahira look at their work projected on the Trump International Hotel, July 23, 2018, in Washington. In a city with a long tradition of leftist street activism, Bell has become something of a local celebrity. Every few weeks, Bell puts messages of protest on the side of the Trump International Hotel. He's called President Donald Trump a pig and a racist, used smiling poop emojis, and taunted the president with images of his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Alex Brandon, AP

Michael Cohen, longtime personal lawyer and confidante for President Donald Trump, leaves Federal Court after his hearing at the United States District Court Southern District of New York, April 16, 2018, in New York. Officials with the FBI, armed with a search warrant, raided Cohen's office and two private residences last week. YANA PASKOVA, GETTY IMAGES

Adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, speaks outside U.S. Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti (R) in Lower Manhattan, New York on April 16, 2018.
Stormy Daniels, the porn star who claims to have had a consensual sexual encounter with Donald Trump a decade ago, said April 17, 2018 that she is pursuing legal action against the president because she is "done being bullied.""I'm tired of being threatened, intimidating me, and trying to say that you'll ruin my life and take all my money and my house," Daniels said on ABC's "The View.""I'm done being bullied," Daniels said of legal threats from Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen, who is now embroiled in his own legal troubles."I'm done," Daniels said. EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

In this courtroom sketch, Joanna Hendon, right, one of President Donald Trump's lawyers, speaks as the president's personal attorney Michael Cohen, left, sits next to one of his own attorneys Todd Harrison, center, with porn star Stormy Daniels visible in the audience between Cohen and Harrison, during a federal court hearing in New York, April 16, 2018. Attorneys for Cohen and Trump tried to persuade U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood to delay prosecutors from examining records and electronic devices seized in the raids on the grounds that many of them are protected by attorney-client privilege. ELIZABETH WILLIAMS VIA AP

(L to R) Todd Harrison and Joseph Evans, attorneys for Michael Cohen, arrive for a court proceeding regarding the search warrants served on President Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen, at the United States District Court Southern District of New York, April 13, 2018 in New York. Cohen and his lawyers were asking the court to block Justice Department officials from reading documents and materials related to his relationship with President Donald Trump that they believe should be protected by attorney-client privilege. Officials with the FBI, armed with a search warrant, raided Cohen's office and two private residences earlier in the week. DREW ANGERER, GETTY IMAGES

CBS This Morning co-anchor Gayle King, left, Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti, CNN news anchor Don Lemon and FOX News talk show host Sean Hannity pose for a selfie at The Hollywood Reporter's annual 35 Most Powerful People in Media event at The Pool on Thursday, April 12, 2018, in New York.
In court hearings on April 16, 2018, it was revealed that the client list of presidential lawyer Michael Cohen also includes Sean Hannity, one of the president's biggest supporters. EVAN AGOSTINI, INVISION/AP

In this Sept. 19, 2017 file photo, President Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen appears in front of members of the media after a closed door meeting with the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Federal agents carrying court-authorized search warrants have seized documents from Cohen according to a statement from Cohens attorney, Stephen Ryan. He says that the search warrants were executed by the office of the U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York but they are in part related to special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. Andrew Harnik, AP

The actress Stephanie Clifford, who uses the stage name Stormy Daniels, performs at the Solid Gold Fort Lauderdale strip club on March 9, 2018 in Pompano Beach, Florida. Stephanie Clifford who claims to have had an affair with President Trump has filed a suit against him in an attempt to nullify a nondisclosure deal with Trump attorney Michael Cohen days before Trump's 2016 presidential victory. Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Michael Cohen's lawyer David Schwartz appeared on Megyn Kelly TODAY on March 29, 2018 to discuss the Stormy Daniels lawsuit against President Trump and her attorney's motion to depose Trump and Cohen. Schwartz called the case "completely frivolous." Nathan Congleton, NBC

(L to R) Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for National Security Advisor, Michael Cohen, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and special counsel to Donald Trump, and former Texas Governor Rick Perry talk with each other in the lobby at Trump Tower, December 12, 2016, in New York City. President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team were in the process of filling cabinet and other high level positions for the new administration. Drew Angerer, Getty Images